Differential effects of thyroid hormone manipulation and ß adrenoceptor agonist administration on uncoupling protein mRNA abundance in adipose tissue and thermoregulation in neonatal pigs

Mostyn, A., Bos, P.M., Litten, J. C., Laws, J., Symonds, M. E. and Clark, L. (2008) Differential effects of thyroid hormone manipulation and ß adrenoceptor agonist administration on uncoupling protein mRNA abundance in adipose tissue and thermoregulation in neonatal pigs. Organogenesis , 4 (3). pp. 182-187. ISSN 1547-6278 doi: 10.4161/org.4.3.6505

Abstract/Summary

We have shown that there is significant disparity in the expression of uncoupling proteins (UCP) 2 and 3 between modern-commercial and ancient-Meishan porcine genotypes, commercial pigs also have higher plasma triiodothyronine (T(3)) in on the first day of life. T(3) and the sympathetic nervous system are both known to regulate UCPs in rodents and humans; their role in regulating these proteins in the pig is unknown. This study examined whether thyroid hormone manipulation or administration of a selective beta3 adrenoceptor agonist (ZD) influenced plasma hormones, colonic temperature and UCP expression in adipose tissue of two breeds of pig. To mimic the differences observed in thyroid hormone status, piglets from Meishan and commercial litters were randomly assigned to control (1 ml/kg water), T(3) (10 mg/kg) (Meishan only), methimazole (a commonly used antithyroid drug) (50 mg/kg) (commercial only) or ZD (10 mg/kg) oral administration for the first 4 days of postnatal life. Adipose tissue UCP2/3 mRNA abundance was measured on day 4 using PCR. T(3) administration raised plasma T(3) concentrations and increased colonic temperature on day 4. UCP3 mRNA abundance was higher in Meishan, than commercial piglets (p = 0.042) and was downregulated following T(3) administration (p = 0.014). Irrespective of genotype, ZD increased UCP2 mRNA abundance (Meishan p = 0.05, commercial p = 0.03). Expression of neither UCP2 nor 3 was related to colonic temperature, regardless of treatment. In conclusion, we have demonstrated a dissociation between thyroid hormones and the sympathetic nervous system in the regulation of UCPs in porcine adipose tissue. We have also suggested that expression of adipose tissue UCP2 and 3 are not related to body temperature in piglets.

Item Type	Article
URI	https://reading-clone.eprints-hosting.org/id/eprint/8942
Item Type	Article
Refereed	Yes
Divisions	Life Sciences > School of Agriculture, Policy and Development
Uncontrolled Keywords	mitochondria, postnatal growth, metabolism
Publisher	Landes Bioscience
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